The Los Angeles Lakers' success during the regular season was largely due to their ability to win close games, so winning by four Sunday in Denver is no surprise. The way the Lakers did it, however, was somewhat unexpected.

James Harden's huge fourth quarter gave the Oklahoma City Thunder a sweep of the Dallas Mavericks as well as a possible new model for late-game offense moving forward. PLUS another crazy finish gives the L.A. Clippers a 2-1 lead in their series.

As Derrick Rose, Iman Shumpert and previously Ricky Rubio battle back from torn ACLs suffered this season, a look at the numbers of past ACL victims indicates their performance is likely to be affected when they return in 2012-13.

The Atlanta Hawks' offense stopped operating at the start of the fourth quarter, dooming their chances of sweeping the first two games of their series. ALSO: The Lakers win a game that never felt as close as the final score.

The success the Utah Jazz has enjoyed during the month of April with a big lineup could be a wild card in this series, but the San Antonio Spurs still appear to have the right pieces to control this 1-8 matchup.